


Bump in the Road

by voiceless_terror



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Jonathan Sims Cannot Drive and I Stand By This, M/M, Martin is A Master of the Road, Right Before It, Set in Episodes 159-160 | Scottish Safehouse Period (The Magnus Archives)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:41:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28640184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voiceless_terror/pseuds/voiceless_terror
Summary: Jonathan Sims cannot drive. For Martin, though, he'll make an attempt.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 15
Kudos: 241





	Bump in the Road

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on my own dumb tumblr post about Jon not being able to drive. Here you go.

“It’s a _Volvo.”_

“It’s a getaway car, Jon,” Martin replies in that ever-patient, even tone of his, the one that developed only after Jon woke from his coma. The Lonely hasn’t left him yet. “I don’t think we’re allowed to be picky.”

“Still,” he grumbles, fidgeting with the keys in his hand. Martin seems to fade in and out in front of him, like a blurry picture Jon can’t quite make out. Basira told them where to go, giving them an address in the middle of nowhere, Scotland- it would certainly be a long trip. They’re light on luggage, both of them having slimmed down their possessions quite significantly during the past few months. The directions led them to a derelict part of the outer boroughs of London, where the beat up car sits cleanly between two other equally decrepit vehicles- unassuming, just as Daisy would’ve wanted. 

More importantly, no cameras. Though Jon’s sure Jonah's still watching their every move.

“C’mon, let's get a move on.” Martin gestures at Jon to open the back door where they throw their bags. Jon pauses, staring at the car in consideration. “Well? Do you want to drive, or shall I?”

Jon shakes his head. Martin looks so tired, he needs a break. Jon will give that to him. “I’ll drive.”

In theory, he _Knows_ how to. He hadn’t had much need for it in his hometown, he usually walked everywhere and caught a ride when needed. At uni he didn’t even need to at all, and Georgie had her own beat up car not unlike this one. It shouldn’t be hard.

Jon opens the driver’s side door, settling down in the seat with an anxious sigh. He looks to the left, smiling hopefully at Martin and receiving a tired one in return. Better than nothing.

The Eye very helpfully informs him that he needs to use the key to start the car. _I’m not completely inept._ So he puts it in the ignition and the car sputters to life with a disconcerting groan.

“Careful!” Martin puts a hand on his arm, startling him. “You’ll flood the engine!”

“Right, sorry.” _This might be more difficult than previously thought._ It’s a tight space.

_Wheels straight. Back up._ Easy enough. He puts the car in reverse, puts his foot to the pedal.

Much too hard.

_“Jon!”_ He’s backed into the car behind him with a definitive bang, rocking them both in their seats. _Fuck fuck-_ “Oh god, I’m sorry, hold on-”

He switches the car into drive in a blind panic, moving forward and slamming this time into the car in front of them. _“Jesus!”_ Martin puts a hand to his chest, before throwing a wild look his way while Jon’s hands flutter uselessly over the steering wheel. He hurries to explain, his voice comes out higher than he would have liked.

“I-In the interest of full disclosure, I do not have a license.”

_“Little late there!”_ Martin shrieks in a hysterical pitch. For once, Jon thinks it’s warranted. “God, just- _stop moving!_ Put it back in park!” That he can do. _Damn it._ The whole point of this is to let Martin relax and here he is, doing the exact opposite. 

“Why did you volunteer if you can’t drive?” Martin snaps, turning the engine off for him. _Thank God._

“I-I wanted to do something nice!” He defends, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. “I thought the Eye would _help-”_

“Clearly it didn’t.” Martin removes his seatbelt, gesturing for Jon to do the same. “Get out, I’m driving.”

“Martin-”

“Hurry up! We don’t know who heard that.” Jon sighs, leaving the car with a sinking feeling- he’d failed Martin, again. _Stupid, stupid._ He watches as Martin inspects the damage outside, which is thankfully minimal.

“After all we’ve been through, I refuse to die in a car accident with you,” Martin grumbles as he gets in the car and turns the key. He does not flood the engine. “Eldritch entity or bust, I say.” Jon manages a weak laugh.

“Sorry.”

Martin gets them out of the parking spot in seconds, one arm on the back of Jon’s seat as he does so. It makes him feel strangely warm. “You’re a ridiculous man, you know that?” Martin’s voice is as fond as it is exasperated. He never thought he’d hear that tone again.

“So I’ve been told.” Martin manages to relax as they get on the main road, glancing over to Jon. The silence is a bit awkward- what is there to say now? After everything that’s happened, after the Lonely, after _‘I loved you.’_

_Loved._ Jon tries not to fixate on this as Martin begins to speak.

“Could you imagine,” he starts, a tentative smile building on his face. “Getting pulled over for a hit and run, of all things?” Jon's answering laugh is more of a sigh.

“A bit ridiculous, yeah,” he agrees, running a hand through his hair. “After all, I _did_ kill a man. That’s the bigger offense.” He doesn’t know why he says it. He’s barely had time to think about what happened in the Lonely other than _Martin’s out, Martin’s going to be okay._ But he _killed_ someone. His breath starts to quicken but Martin interrupts him with a loud and unexpectedly cheery yelp.

“You did!” He says in wide-eyed wonder, earning him a confused glance from Jon. _What?_ “You-you ripped him apart! With your _laser eyes-”_

“That’s _not_ what happened-”

“Your _tape recorder of doom-”_

_“Martin!”_ They’re both laughing now, hysterical and desperate, the sound of two people who’ve been through the unspeakable and have no way of expressing it. It’s equal parts cathartic and disorientating.

“Why are we laughing?” Martin asks, in between gasping breaths, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. Jon sobers, his own breath hitching in his throat as the laughter trails off.

“I don’t know,” he says, sniffing and trying to contain the sob that’s building in his throat. _You killed someone._ “I don’t know.”

The brief hysteria dies down and Jon’s lost in his thoughts again, no distractions but a long, empty road ahead. _You had to do it, it was the only way._ Was it? Did he need the answer, or did he just _want_ it? What is he becoming? His spiraling thoughts are silenced by the touch of Martin’s hand, threading with his own. His eyes are still on the road, he doesn’t say a word.

It’s the second time they’ve done this but somehow, this feels more real. It’s not like when Jon was leading them out of the Lonely, when he needed to hold onto Martin just to keep him present. Martin’s big hand envelops his, real and solid and wholly unnecessary; it’s meant to be comforting, comforting in a way that Jon doesn’t think he deserves. But he’ll take it. It’s been so long since someone touched him like this.

He squeezes back. They drive in silence; there’s so many things he wants to say to Martin, but they’ll have time for words later. It’s nice, this quiet; just the hum of the car engine and their slow, steady breaths. Martin doesn’t let go of him, steering easily with one hand. 

“You’re a good driver,” Jon murmurs, smiling at the answering laugh. Martin looks over at him, eyes unclouded and full of love, or at least something adjacent to it.

“I’ll teach you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Same old same old ridiculous fic from me. What did you expect? Hope you enjoyed anyway! Let me know your thoughts.
> 
> You can reach me @voiceless-terror on tumblr for whatever this is and more! Thanks for reading.


End file.
